Moana Star Auli’i Cravalho Teaches How to Pronounce Hawaiian Words

It's a very important lesson.

When Disney began casting for its newest princess movie, Moana, they knew they had to find somebody special to help bring the Polynesian princess to life. Enter Auli’i Cravalho, whom a talent agent discovered when she sang at an event in Hawaii. An audition process that involved over 2,000 other girls and some serious bonding with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson later, and Auli’i has more than risen to the occasion.

In honor of the film's debut November 23, Auli’i sat down with us and explained how to pronounce a number of key Hawaiian words and phrases that every wahine and kāne should know. Some words, like moana and pua'a make their way into the movie, and others, like 'ikaika, are pretty good descriptors of both Auli’i and Moana. Of course, the latter will need all the 'ikaika she can muster when she teams up with the demigod Maui on a fantastic quest, but we have a feeling she'll be just fine.